Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Bad Apple, iPhone, App Store
Even at WWDC, developers can't get straight answers about App Store rejections
This is just becoming stupid. For the past year, we've heard from developers who have had their apps rejected from the App Store for the silliest of reasons. You know, the app might allow someone to access content that could also be accessed through Mobile Safari, it might display an Old-English translation of the Kama Sutra, or include potentially adult language; but this rejection wins the "most asinine rejection ever" award: Because we said so.
Meet Craig Robinson. Craig is an artist and illustrator. For the last ten years, he's been creating these extremely cool Minipops, tiny pixelated renditions of celebrities and musicians. Check out Radiohead and The Office (UK). These creations have built up a nice fanbase, and Craig even published a book, aptly titled Minipops, in several countries. When Yahoo! Music launched a few years ago, Minipops were featured.
So Craig and his friend Matt decided to create a Minipops iPhone app -- essentially a portable version of the Minipops collection, along with some clever commentary for each illustration and the chance to "guess" what each image represents. The app was rejected from the store under the guise of being potentially offensive. This was shocking, but the guys persevered and resubmitted the app. Once again, rejected. Originally, Craig thought it might have been his sometimes sarcastic commentary that was the offensive part, but the second e-mail made it clear that they found the pixelated illustrations themselves offensive.
Keep in mind, these illustrations are very, very cute -- and if anything, flatter the people they represent more than anything else. Plus, these illustrations have been published not only in Craig's own Minipops book, but used in various other media as well. A book about Michelle Obama will even feature the Minipops of the Obama family.
Regardless, Craig and Matt weren't getting any clear answers from Apple's App Store e-mail help desk. Fast-forward to this week: Matt and Craig go to WWDC.
One of the benefits of WWDC is that you are supposed to actually be able to interact with real Apple employees. After being told to talk to someone in the Developers Lab, Matt and Craig were again faced with some standard answers that sounded like they came out of a tech-support manual, and were given no more information as to what in their app was so potentially offensive to the App Store reviewers. After speaking with someone higher-up, the final answer essentially given was, "because we said so. And according to our TOS, that's the only answer we have to give." Oh, and the always helpful, "e-mail the App Store help line for more information."
This needs to stop. I understand that at WWDC, Apple might not have a whole team of App Store support individuals around to answer specific questions, but surely, if you've paid thousands of dollars to not only join the ADC, but also buy a WWDC ticket, that earns a referral to an actual human being and not just a stock-answer to "e-mail" the App Store support center.
Apple has made it clear they want to make the rules for playing in their sandbox. That's fine. But if a company is going to make the rules, they better let the potential players know what those rules are. A blanket "because we said so" isn't an acceptable answer, especially from a company that claims it is fostering innovation and new market opportunities for its platform. Want developers to use your platform? You better tell them what they can or cannot do, up front, and in a consistent manner.
When developers can't get a straight answer from Apple, even at WWDC, about why an app has been rejected or even what steps they can take to resolve the situation, something is very, very wrong. Make no mistake, a big portion of the iPhone's success is due to the App Store, and 99% of those apps are not developed by Apple. Shafting developers and refusing to even give a straight answer for rejection is a real good way to discourage individuals from developing for or investing in the platform.
We'll be running a weekly column highlighting some of the more ridiculous App Store rejection stories. Please contact us via the tips form or on Twitter if you want to share your story.
If highlighting these preposterous situations is the only way to initiate change, then highlight we shall.
The bottom line is this: Apple is a better company than this and developer's deserve better. If you want to reject an app because you don't like pixelated illustrations, then come out and say it. Or at least try to pinpoint what is objectionable so a developer can reassess and make changes if necessary.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
ack154 said 8:11AM on 6-11-2009
It's because it has black people in it... isn't it?
KIDDING!
Reply
B said 10:42AM on 6-11-2009
LMAO! That douchie comment went so perfectly with your avatar.
Anthony said 8:19AM on 6-11-2009
Welcome to the world of the internet appliance.
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Gizmo said 8:25AM on 6-11-2009
So Apple - via Safari - gives you the means to surf to some incredibly nasty material on the net, but if someone wants to have an app with pixelated proven non-offensive characters, that's deemed objectionable?
Have a word with yourself Apple. Your policies are beginning to look stupid. But I still love you. For now anyway.
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THJ said 9:50PM on 6-11-2009
If I was a shady scheming lawyer/activist (well, if I was a lawyer) I'd try to make this case:
Since Apple controls the apps admitted to the app store, but can't control the content on the Internet, then I can sue/publicly disparage Apple for objectionable content present the app (prior to user intervention).
So I'm guessing the line is drawn at:
REJECT
'Potentially objectionable content that can be consumed without user intervention'
Example: Kama Sutra app
APPROVE
'No objective content can be consumed without the user adding media or connecting to the Internet'
Example: Using an e-book reader to download the kama sutra text
Anthony said 8:25AM on 6-11-2009
http://futureoftheinternet.org/
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nz said 8:30AM on 6-11-2009
Truth is, Apple isn't a better company than this. This is precisely who Apple is. I use almost all Apple products, from my iPhone to my iMac to AppleTV. They are fantastic and work really well in the iTunes ecosystem. Don't confuse a company's great products with a company's demeanor.
Apple has always been a closed system. Steve Jobs is notorious for his secrecy, and that mindset pervades Apple culture. Apple has also always been "My Way or the Highway" when it comes to there software and hardware offerings. This is part of what has made them so successful, but is also very much their downfall here with the app store and the developers they need to woo.
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keidalgrim said 8:39AM on 6-11-2009
Good God, NZ....you took the words right out of my mouth. First two sentences, almost verbatim. Spot on.
H3 said 9:29AM on 6-11-2009
took the words right out of my mouth
Brandon said 9:38AM on 6-11-2009
This is utterly ridiculous, if I were a developer I'd have moved over to Android and probably WebOS. I've been reading these stories since last year and I keep thinking to myself "When are they going to get it together?"..I'm coming to the realization that they won't, unless the developers take things into their own hands. God Apple pisses me off sometimes. It seems like such a simple system to fix! Create consistent standards and publish them somewhere!
By the way, how can those Twilight books be published in the store when the characters have house destroying sex in the book? (My girlfriend owns the books and told me..I swear I SWEAR!). This along with the lackluster 3GS (nice camera but no flash?!) and the stripped voice control for older phones is making me consider alternative options when my contract is up next year.
Developers need to start some kind of petition and/or website explaining in an open letter why things need to change.
KeynoteKen said 9:57AM on 6-11-2009
"if I were a developer I'd have moved over to Android and probably WebOS"
Unless you want your app to appear on the hottest selling smart phone going now. Sure, it may make a developer feel good to get their app approved on one of those other ones but, last I checked, "sticking it to the man" won't pay the bills.
LB said 6:28PM on 6-11-2009
Here's the real problem in my mind.. Would apple be able to get away with this on their desktops? The answer is obviously: No.
Honestly if the thing doesn't break the phone and isn't pumping graphic porn to the kiddies there is no good reason for rejection. It costs apple next to nothing to host an app and they get a 30% cut
Kelmon said 8:50AM on 6-11-2009
One wonders whether it would be possible for developers to organise a strike in protest over this issue. Let's be honest here, the developer actually hold all the cards on this and Apple is going to look very silly if a substantial number pull their own applications from the App Store for a period of time. It's pretty extreme but it seems clear that after months of these sorts of stories that Apple has not yet got it's act together and needs to be forced.
Frankly, when even John Gruber is writing pieces like this, you know something is messed up: http://daringfireball.net/2009/05/diary_of_an_app_store_reviewer
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Jim Danner said 8:22AM on 6-12-2009
That piece from Gruber (diary of an app store reviewer) is hilarious.
Wednesday May 20
Began examining new Flickr client app. Ends up it is surprisingly difficult to find pornographic content on Flickr. Entire day wasted.
Kelly said 9:21AM on 6-11-2009
I saw a couple of people wearing these at the WWDC http://www.printfection.com/fck3312
hilarious
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Drunken Economist said 9:27AM on 6-11-2009
You can pretty much play 'offshore bingo' with all the gaffes that have happened with the appstore and MobileMe. In the dim dark past I used to work for a hosting services company, and I'm sorry, but the silliness mirrors what we're seeing with Apple these days.
The reason they continue to use broken systems is because they are so stupid cheap.
If you want Apple's services to improve, DEMAND that these jobs be done in either the EU or the USA.
If not, then you can continue to see AppStore delays, utterly incomprehensible rejections, etc.
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Dan said 9:35AM on 6-11-2009
What's wrong with you?
The developers, engineers, and other Apple employees at WWDC are almost certainly not related to app publishing / approval for iTunes. They aren't the right people to ask and this article has no merit. Chances are, none of those in question ever even heard of this app because reviewing it isn't in their job description.
Does the app approval process stink? Sure. Is this the right avenue to get answers about it? Far from.
Get it together. Stop grabbing headlines with garbage. That you would publish this hurts your credibility.
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pTracker said 10:01AM on 6-11-2009
Dan, one of the selling points of WWDC was "access to Apple employees and engineers" and was sold to DEVELOPERS.
Getting their work on the app store is naturally what all iPhone developers aim to accomplish - thus, the itunes system is an integral part of the development process - arguably the most important part.
You say:
The developers, engineers, and other Apple employees at WWDC are almost certainly not related to app publishing / approval for iTunes
I say:
Why the heck not? If that's true, then WWDC is a rip-off. It's like selling a back-stage pass to a concert, but setting up a sound-proof wall so you can't actually hear the music, Sure, you're backstage mingling with cast and crew, but the essence of why you care in the first place is denied to you.
Christina Warren said 12:13PM on 6-11-2009
Dan, as I said I understand that at WWDC, Apple might not have a whole team of App Store support individuals around to answer specific questions... -- but where else are people at least supposed to be directed to someone who CAN answer their question if not at WWDC? It is a developer's conference, no?
And I didn't get into this in the post because I'm not going to start calling Apple employee's out by name, but it was an Apple Support person who told Craig and Matt to go to the Developer's Lab for feedback and to get questions answered. It wasn't just "hey, let's go ambush Apple" -- it was what they were directed to do.
SpaceGoatPriest said 9:36AM on 6-11-2009
This is one of the reasons I really hope the Palm Pre does well. *True* competition benefits the consumers. Another hope is if people start jumping ship, AT&T might lower their plan prices to be on the level with Sprint.
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